Details from Clara's Home birth

LJM0521 · March 2013

I posted a couple days ago saying that my sweet daughter was born at home and a few people asked for more details. I haven't been on since then, so I'm sorry it's taken me so long! But, here is the longer version of her birth. I tried to keep it short, but obviously wasn't able to Wink Most of it is just copied from what I wrote for friends who've asked for the story.

Contractions started at 1:30am. They were not bad but I couldn?t sleep through them so I got up and cleaned the bathroom (looking back, it?s kind of funny since that?s where she was born!). Around 2:30am, I woke DH up and told him I thought I was in labor. He got up with me and we tried timing them, but still, not consistent at all. I didn't want to go in until I was closer to the 5-1-1 rule, or at least having some form of consistency. Some of mine were 2 minutes apart, some were 10. Some lasted 30 seconds, some got close to a minute. They stayed that way all morning long. Around 6:30am, I was beyond frustrated that labor wasn?t progressing at all. I was tired and wanted it to all be over, but it seemed like I had a looong way to go since the contractions still were not consistent or horribly painful. I talked to my mom, complained a lot about how frustrated I was, and told her we would drop the boys off at her house once DS2 woke up but that I didn?t think it was any rush. We got off the phone, I laid down in bed and had the worst contraction of my life (I?ve had both boys without pain meds, but this was by far the worst). It was awful. My water broke and the contraction went on forever. Once it finally stopped, DH called my mom and told her she needed to get to our house quickly. Before he was off the phone, I was screaming to call 911 (by this point, I had moved to the bathroom). He asked me if I was sure, thought I might be overreacting, but did it anyway. As he came up the stairs, I heard him telling the dispatcher that I was in labor and felt like the baby was coming, but he wanted to make sure. As he came into the bathroom, he could already see her head. The 911 operator told him he needed to get me off the toilet and lying down. I told him I couldn?t move. She told him again he had to get me off and lying down. I refused. After some back and forth, he put her on speaker phone and the phone on the counter, then picked me up and stood me on the ground (feel free to laugh. Looking back, I see how ridiculous this was, but at the time, I couldn?t do it!). I still couldn?t move and yelled at the poor lady on the phone when she tried insisting I lay down. There wasn?t time for that and I honestly could.not.move. from all the pain. Clara?s head was already out. She told DH to make sure her cord wasn?t wrapped around her neck and to expect the rest of her body to come out in the next couple of contractions, but before she finished her sentence, Clara was out. I was finally able to lay down and follow her directions J DH wrapped Clara in a towel, I laid down on the floor, and waited for the firemen, who took care of everything else. They took me to the hospital, where both Clara and I looked perfectly healthy. She weighed in at 7lbs even (half a pound smaller than her preemie brother!), 19 inches, and they are guessing she was born at 6:57, although I?m not sure how they figured that out? She?s a peanut and absolutely perfect! A lot of people have asked where the boys were during all of this. Well, thankfully DS2 was still asleep (he woke up as the firemen rushed into my room). DS1 was playing ipad on my bed when water broke and told DH, ?Yep, I think you?re right Dad. The baby is coming today.? He is too funny! DH tried to keep him out of the room as best he could during the rest of it, but he kept coming back to see what was going on. My mom got some pretty interesting questions when she was watching him, but he thought the whole thing was pretty funny. He?s always been curious about how bodies work (not just how babies come out, but about the whole body). Maybe he will be a doctor some day J

runningyogimama · March 2013

Congrats, again, and thanks for sharing!!! What an amazing experience to look back on for all of you!

Momof2Es · March 2013

Wow! I remember seeing your post a few days ago and I couldn't wait to hear the rest of your story. That is amazing! Congrats to you and your family! So glad everyone is well!

rm2013 · March 2013

Wow, thanks for sharing!!

isabella1982 · March 2013

Congrats :-)

braelyn26 · March 2013

wow congrats, this is what i am afraid of!!! i am having my third and the previous two were fast labor and deliveries, the other day i had the same predicament, contractions anywhere from 2-10 min apart and were crampy so went to hospital cause everyone jokes we will have him in the van and was only 1cm. and sent home, it was my second time there so i feel stupid because i know what labor is i am just gun shy about going fast LOL!!!